


sweet child o mine

by CigarilloSmoke (MakeAStriderSmile)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (I lied), Brief mentions of brainwashing? (Reconditioning at least), Brief mentions of incest???, Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Father-Son Relationship, I swear that I didn't just finish this five minutes ago, Lotsa plot, Lotsa sad, Lotsa teasing, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:57:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8655118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeAStriderSmile/pseuds/CigarilloSmoke
Summary: Almost every night, Jesse McCree receives a phone call, one that he enjoys immensely.Tonight is no exception.
---Day three of McReyes week, the prompt is trust!!Hope you enjoy!





	

Every so often, at an unholy time of night, usually at three, four in the morning, sometimes even at the stroke of midnight, just to be annoying, Jesse’s old phone will ring. It’s an old, battered thing, a Samsung he thinks, though the label, along with most of the top of the phone, is cracked. Not beyond repair, of course, he just can’t be bothered getting an old phone fixed. He only ever uses it for these calls anyway, so he doesn’t even really want to go to the trouble.

 

The phone will ring, vibrate against whatever surface he’s left it on, be it a wooden desk scratched all to hell, a marble countertop, a steel workbench or even just the ground, if he’s sleeping particularly rough. It will play a song he wishes he could forget, on his worst of days, but holds close on the best of days, lets the opening riff curl around him like an old friend.

 

“ _ She’s got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky _ ,” Axl Rose croons from his tinny phone speaker, and Jesse McCree smiles, every single time.

 

The ringtone hasn’t changed once, not once, in over 20 years. He couldn’t possibly bring himself to change it.

 

He always hesitates, when picking up the phone, wrapped in its thick leather case. He wonders if this call will be the last call, if this goodbye will be the last one. But then he shakes it off. The calls will keep coming. He’s only ever let him down once before.

 

He swipes the green phone icon, holds the phone to his ear, and just listens, for a few seconds, just as he knows the person on the other side is doing. They listen to each other’s breathing, both soft and steady, though the person on the other side sounds like he’s been smoking six packs a day for fifty years, with the way his breathing rasps and shudders.

 

“ _ ¿Usted allí, pequeño vaquero? _ ” Comes a low, almost guttural voice, a few seconds later.

 

“Of course I’m here, papi. I picked up, didn’t I?”

 

“Can never be too sure in our line of work. Especially after last week. You really need to learn to watch your six, kid.”

 

“Why would I need to? You’re always around to watch it for me. Don’t think I didn’t see you take out that last guy.” His voice is low, fond in a way it never has been with anyone else. 

 

“He was insubordinate anyway. Higher ups didn’t even miss him.” Gabriel’s voice is dismissive, as if he doesn’t even care.

 

Jesse can never think of him as ‘Reaper’ during these calls. He’s Gabriel to him during these quiet hours, his papi, the father he never had, the father he got in a dark holding cell, the father that had stood by him through everything, and was still looking out for him, even beyond the grave.

 

“I’m sure they didn’t. But thanks anyway. Managed to get out with only my hat as a casualty.” He drawls, looking over to his mangled, bullet ridden hat.

 

“I know. I was aiming for it.” Comes the completely unapologetic response.

 

“What?! Aw, c’mon, Pa, you know I love that hat, I’ve had that thing for years!”

 

“You were due for a new one. It was starting to look tacky with all the shells stuck onto it.” He can almost hear Gabriel smiling through the phone. “I’ll send you a new one. A better one.”

 

“Papi, I don’t want a black hat. Stop trying to invent new and exciting ways to send me one.”

 

“ _ Mijo _ , you need a black hat.”

 

“Papi.”

 

“Jesse.”

 

“No more black hats.”

 

“I make no promises.”

 

“Ughhhh.” He considers hanging up, for a split second, before the panic catches him. If he hangs up now, he may never hear from him again.

 

“So,  _ mijo _ . You hook up with that Shimada yet?” Comes the smug voice of his adopted father.

 

“Which one?” He asks, raising a brow.

 

“Either, both, whatever floats your boat. They’re both into you anyway. Should’ve seen how freaked out Legolas got when I shot your hat off. He whacked me with his bow. Splintered my mask at the corner. Guy’s got good upper body strength.”

 

“Both of them have good upper body strength, they're, like, yakuza ninjas. It'd be bad if they didn't.” He reminds Gabriel with a hum. 

 

“Yeah, whatever, still. You gonna hook up with em? Let me know at least a week in advance so I don't shoot them. They get about a month of leeway but that's it.”

 

“Aw, c’mon, pa, you never even gave  _ me  _ a month of leeway, why would they get any?” Jesse whines into the phone like a chastised teen. 

 

“They get leeway because I want to see how they protect you in a combat situation. If their efforts aren't sufficient, all bets are off.” Gabriel growls back, though he seems to be amused enough by the situation. 

 

“I can't believe you're actually condonin’ me sleepin’ with two yakuza heirs. Thought ya always wanted better for your little cowboy.” 

 

“It would be hypocritical for me to comment on previous and current alliances,  _ vaquero _ . ‘Sides, it's not my place to stick my nose into your business.” Gabriel sounds a little miffed at this. 

 

“Oh, fuck off, you spent, what, ten years stickin’ yer nose inta my business. I know you were the one that messed with my arrangements.” 

 

“Arrangements? You were barely nineteen! You were fucking half of Blackwatch in exchange for cigarettes! I was your commanding officer, I had to do something.” Gabriel sounds furious now, a lingering rasp in his voice that makes Jesse nervous. Maybe the Reaper would intrude on yet another sacred part of his life and ruin it. 

 

“Ey, papi. Calm down. I know you had your reasons, and that's fine. Ain't like I couldn't get cigarettes in different ways anyway. It's fine, Gabe. Deep breaths.” His voice holds concern and boundless affection. 

 

“I… I.. I'm sorry, Jesse. Didn't mean to snap.” Gabriel just sounds tired now, tired and weary.

 

“Hey, no apologising. You trust me, right?”

 

“Yes, I trust you. You know I do.”

 

“Well, I trust you too. I trust you to find yourself under all that shit they did, and I trust you to be there for me, papi. Trust that I'll stand by you as well.”

 

“You're good with words,  _ vaquero.  _ Yeah, I'll trust you. Not gonna trust your boyfriends for a few years, but they can earn my respect just like you did. Slowly and surely, along with a few bullets taken for a good cause.” He pauses, then adds, as if Jesse didn't already know, “You are the good cause. They must take three bullets for you before you get my parental blessing.” Gabe’s voice has calmed now, back to that low drawling accent that had made Jesse grin like a moron back in Blackwatch, the tone of a man who was thoroughly at peace, even if only for a short while. He'd always been proud for days at any opportunity to hear that lazily contented voice. 

 

“I never said I was gonna settle for either of them for that long, let alone both of ‘em.” Jesse groans at his father figure's assumptions, and Gabriel just laughs and laughs. 

 

“I've seen the way you look at Hanzo when he shoots. And I've witnessed how you and Genji used to act round each other. I see him checking you out every few missions.” Gabe says wisely, the words of a man who seems to know everything about everyone. 

 

“Cute. Don't mean we're gonna settle down, have a nice big family and nine cats. I'm still gonna end up on my own with those nine cats, papi.” 

 

“Nah.” The older man dismisses casually.

 

“Yeah.” Jesse retorts stubbornly, because of course he has to argue this point like a fucking teenager.

 

“Nah. You'll have two buff Japanese boyfriends and they'll spoil you and your nine cats rotten.” Gabriel assures him, a warm smile in his raspy voice. 

 

“Distinctly untrue. But whatever. Ain't about to argue with ya about your weird outlooks on my love life, such as it is.” Well, what he really wanted to do was tease Gabe about the fact that the former commander had slept with most of Blackwatch, much like himself, and had still ended up all on his lonesome in the end. But he decides this is a bit rude. A lot rude. And would probably end in Gabriel hanging up and never calling again. So he does not bring it up.

 

“‘Least you have a love life,  _ mijo _ . Better than nothing. Well, unless you're asexual like.. Hm. I wanna say Liao, but I remember him saying he was bi once, so maybe it was Reinhardt?”

 

“Yep, still Reinhardt. Captain Hammer, the acest knight I've ever had the fortune of meetin’.” Jesse confirms, smiling slightly at the steel of his door, knowing the boisterous Crusader was not far from him at this very moment. 

 

“Right. Still. At least you have a love life, McCree. Two men who will probably take bullets for you. Well, Hanzo will, the cyborg will just deflect them, I'm sure.” Gabriel sounds bitter at this. Clearly his shots have not gone over well with the younger Shimada. Jesse fights the urge to laugh. 

 

“Hanzo rarely leaves his defensible position unless Genji is respawning, he won't take any bullets for me.”

 

“Eh.”

 

“ _ Eh?”  _

 

“You heard me,  _ mijo _ . Eh. You'll see. And then you'll fuck. And then you can tell him you have the hots for him and his brother. Take a month or two to sort the situation out. And then before you know it, Shimada sandwiches galore. In both cuddling, other such affection and probably sex. Those two seem like they'd be willing to give you anything, including borderline incestuous threesomes. They'd probably offer even if you never brought it up. Those yakuza boys, they're sneaky.” Reyes rattles on, babbling at length about Jesse's imagined sex life, and Jesse mostly tunes him out, just smiling and thinking. 

 

Maybe he was right. Maybe they would work out. That'd be fucking fantastic, if it were possible. Gods, he hoped. He wanted Hanzo and Genji both. Perhaps Gabe had sensed this and called him up to offer fatherly advice. Or at least, what he considered to be advice. 

 

“You're so weird, papi. Thinkin’ ‘bout your kid's sex life. You really must get bored, bein’ the big bad over there.” Jesse drawls out sarcastically. 

 

“It does get a bit boring.” Gabe admits. “If I'm not on a mission, I'm stuck on base for reconditioning with Amélie or I'm listening to Sombra drone on and on about her conspiracy theories.”

 

Jesse dodges round the mention of reconditioning smoothly, though the thought of Talon doing such things to his papi made something cold run down his spine. “Oh yeah? And how is Miss Shady? Bein’ a good daughter?”

 

“Drop it,  _ mijo _ , she’s not my kid. God knows I can barely handle you half the time.”

 

“Aw, but papi, I always wanted a big sister!” Jesse whines petulantly, beaming.

 

“She’s seven years younger than you, Jesse.”

 

“Point still stands. I wanna have a little sister. Adopt edgy hacker girl and we can be a big Mexican family.”

 

“My  _ abuelita  _ would choke you out for insinuating that three people is a big family. ….Well, if you include my side of the family, we’d be way bigger than three, but I can’t exactly bring the two of you to meet my mama. Considering she thinks I’m dead and all. Not to mention the whole smoke thing.” Gabe muses, voice somber and thoughtful.

 

“Your mama’s been alive this long? Gods, she must be old.” Jesse exclaims thoughtlessly.

 

“Hell yeah she is, the Reyes family always had impeccable genes. That’s the reason I was picked for the whole supersoldier thing. Me and my sisters are tougher ‘n goats. Or, like…. Super mutants from that one game.”

 

“Fallout?”

 

“Yeah. Like them but way more attractive. Well. I used to be. Kinda went to shit after I got all… exploded.”

“Oh, I know. You won the Blackwatch popularity contest every year for those thighs. People think you rigged it because you’re the commander, but I went round and asked everyone and you definitely won by landslides.” McCree comments wryly. “My papi is a handsome devil, and I’m awful proud of ya.”

 

“Well, shucks, if that isn’t the nicest compliment I’ve ever received from my kid.” Gabriel deadpans. “I am well aware of people’s opinions on my thighs. Morrison once paid me fifty bucks to crush a watermelon with them and then we fucked. In fact, I think that happened four times. Not all with Morrison, of course, but I crushed a lot of watermelon.” 

 

“I did  _ not  _ need to hear this.”

 

“And I didn’t want to talk about the guy that killed me, but we all make sacrifices to embarrass our children.”

 

“Some sacrifices are just too damn great, papi.”

 

It sounds as if Gabe is about to say something else, but Jesse is startled out of the casual warmth that he was sharing with his father figure by a few sharp raps at the door.

 

“Just a sec, papi, someone at the door.” He says quickly, phone still in hand as he gets out of bed and goes to open the door for whoever was standing on the other side. 

 

Whoever was standing on the other side was Soldier:76, because of fucking course it was.

 

“Well, speak o’ the devil, me an’ papi were just talkin’ about you, Commander.”

 

“Don’t call me that.” It’s impossible to tell behind that visor, but he thinks that Jack is probably squinting, trying to parse Jesse’s sentence.

 

“Wait. You’re… talking to your father.” His voice is slow, measured. 

 

Gabriel, on the other end of the phone, is not pleased.

 

“Jesse McCree, give the phone to Morrison for a second.” 

 

“I… really don’t think I should do that, papi. Ain’t about to start nothin’ this late at night.” To Jack, who is still clearly displeased, he whispers, “He wants me to give you the phone.”

 

“Alright, give it here then.” 76 says calmly, holding out a scarred hand.

 

“I am absolutely not giving the phone to you, commander.”

 

“Not your commander, never was, McCree. Give me the phone.”

 

“Listen to Morrison,  _ mijo _ , give him the phone.” Gabe is on the other end, voice sounding suspiciously dark.

 

“Oh my fuckin’ lord. Fine. But you’d better give it back, me ‘n papi ain’t done talkin’, and I’m not listenin’ to you two fight the whole night long.” Jesse says with a low groan of defeat as he hands the phone over. 

 

76 holds it up to his ear, and says, pleasantly, “Gabi. Always a pleasure to hear your voice.”

 

What he hears in response makes him blanch, then flush a deep red. All Jesse can hear is whirlwind Spanish barked in an angry voice, too fast for him to really understand. He picks out ‘dead’, ‘watermelon’, and what sounds kind of like ‘plan’, but might have been ‘flan’, for all he knew.

 

“Alright, alright, I know. Calm down, Gabi.” More angry Spanish. “Yes, I’m looking out for him.” Slightly less angry Spanish. “No, I have not tried to kill you lately!” Angrier Spanish. “Why the fuck would I know if they like him? I’m not a relationship expert!” A peal of laughter and something else in Spanish that makes Jack flush again. “Oh, fuck right off with that, it was one time. And you reeked of watermelon.” Quieter Spanish. “...Well, yeah, of course.” Slightly calmer words, this time in English, though Jesse still can’t make it out. “Mm. Me too. Maybe not anymore, though. Bit old for it.” Another laugh and some more words, in Spanish again. “No, we definitely are, don’t get any ideas.”

 

“Can y’all stop flirtin’ durin’ my allotted talkin’ time with my pa?” Jesse interjects, raising a brow. Jack does not seem fazed by this accusation, simply shrugging. He listens to Gabe’s reply, laughs quietly, and nods.

 

“Alright, another time then.” Soft English. “Yeah, I agree, his hat was ridiculous. I’ll put him back on.” He hands the phone back, tilting his head in a gesture that is clearly meant to be enthused, the visor covering what might be a smile. “He’s all yours. Might pop in next time to say hello though. I’ll bring Genji, maybe. You know, for fatherly interrogation and such.”

 

Despite Jesse’s sputtered protests, 76 just laughs and walks back down the hall to his room.

 

He puts the phone back to his ear to find Gabriel is laughing, boisterous and delighted, a sound that makes McCree want to cry tears of joy.

 

“What’s got you so happy, papi?”

 

“I’m gonna kick his ass next time I see him.” Gabriel replies, smile still in his voice.

 

“Who, Jack? Why?”

 

“He had my number this whole time. Never called.”

 

“You were trying to kill him, pa.”

 

“So? I try to kill you and you still pick up the phone.”

 

“You don’t try kill me, you fuckin’ shoot my hat off and send me black ones with silver bullets. It’s stupid, I’m not a vampire hunter, I’m a cowboy, and you know it damn well.” Jesse complains.

 

“You were a vampire hunter for Halloween that one time.” Gabe drawls.

 

“I was a kid then! Still had both arms! Plus, you made me that costume. I kinda felt obligated to wear it.”

 

“You didn’t have to.” There is a distinct note of sulking in Gabriel’s voice.

 

“Yeah, I really did. I remember what happened when Fareeha rejected your costume idea. You made me run double laps for two weeks.”

 

“Someone had to face my wrath, Jesse. It seemed fitting it would be you.”

 

“Why not make Ana do them?”

 

“Are you kidding me? I’m fucking terrified of her.”

 

“Good call.”

 

“She once literally threw a sleep dart into my forehead.”

 

“Threw it?”

 

“Like I’m a fuckin’ dartboard.”

 

“Jeez.”

 

“Right?”

 

“...Do you miss her?”

 

“Of course I do. I miss almost all of you.”

 

“Who don’t you miss?”

 

“The doc and the monkey.”

 

“Ah. ...Fair.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You ever consider coming back?”

 

“Not until they’re both gone.” His voice is firm. Final. As if he’s been thinking about this his whole life.

 

“Come on, papi. You know I miss workin’ beside you. Jack and Genji miss it too, I know they do.”

 

“Genji barely worked with me.”

“He was a part of Blackwatch and we all knew it. You knew it too. He misses fighting alongside you instead of against you.”

 

“I…. I can’t. Not now. Not yet.”

 

“But… maybe in the future? When you’re ready? You can take as long as you need, papi, as long as it takes, I just want you to come back.” Jesse’s voice is soft, hopeful, the same hope that had suffused him as a teen, that wide eyed naivety that Gabriel had always been so admiring of.

 

“Maybe. Maybe in the future. Just… not now.”

 

“We’ll wait. I trust that you’ll come home when you’re ready.”

 

“And I trust that you’ll be the first person to welcome me back,  _ mijo _ .”

 

“You know it, boss.”

 

“I love you, Jess. I’m gonna go now, but you keep safe, you hear?” 

 

“Yeah, I hear. Love you too, Gabi. Stay safe. I miss you every day.”

 

“You see me near every day.”

 

“It’s not the same as having you here.”

 

“I know. I miss you too. Goodbye for now,  _ mi tesoro. _ ”

“Goodbye for now, papi.”

 

The phone clicks, and, for once, Jesse doesn’t feel that vacuum in his soul, empty and distraught, wondering whether that call was the last.

 

Because he trusts that his father will come home to him, to their family.

He trusts Gabriel Reyes to the moon and back, to the sun and back, to Pluto and back, to the very ends of the galaxy. 

He knows he’ll call again, and maybe the next call would be the one when he chooses to stay.

 

Jesse can’t wait for that call.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I, admittedly, was already writing this fic when I heard about the event. I adapted it to have the theme of trust, but there wasn't much to change, it was already kinda trust-y.
> 
> Just like with the last fic, I really do hope you like it! For this event I'm trying to write different views upon their relationship, though mostly romantic. I do really, really love Dad!Reaper though. Because it's precious and he's precious.
> 
> I've got another art piece in the works for day 4, though as a person who can't stand angst, I'm working on making it cute. Betrayal does not have to mean sadness, in my book.
> 
> Hope you have a lovely day!! <333


End file.
